Those who interfere with operations at Ben-Gurion Airport "should be fired," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an X/Twitter post on Thursday.
"Ben-Gurion Airport will continue to remain open and operate as usual," said Netanyahu. "Whoever stands in the way should be fired."
Netanyahu's comments come as a surprise workers' strike at Ben-Gurion Airport concluded at 3:00 p.m. after grounding flights for about an hour and disrupting the travel plans of approximately 100,000 passengers.
Transportation Minister Miri Regev stated earlier on Thursday that she had instructed the Israel Airports Authority management to immediately petition the Labor Court against the workers' union.
According to her, action must be taken to halt what she called a "thug-like, illegal strike," adding, "Whoever made the decision to make tens of thousands of Israeli citizens hostage will pay a heavy price."
Former Transportation Ministry chief blames government for strike
Former Transportation Ministry director-general Keren Terner attributed the strike to "excessive political appointments and failed management" at the government level.
"Anyone who's stuck right now at Ben Gurion Airport, or in traffic jams, or waiting hours for a bus that never shows up - I want you to know that things don't have to be this way," she said in a post on X. "They've conditioned us to a government that normalizes the idea that nothing can be fixed, but soon it will be different."
Gadi Eisenkot (Yashar) tied the strike to the Netanyahu government in his own X post, saying, "The chaos at Ben-Gurion Airport on one of the busiest days of the year is not an isolated incident; it is a reflection of the failed management culture of the Netanyahu government - chaos and disorder, lack of management and lack of accountability."
"The Israeli government's lack of interest in the lives of its citizens and, above all, lack of leadership," he continued. "Israeli citizens deserve leadership that takes responsibility, stands up to the challenges, and knows how to address systems from the ground up."
Bennett: Chaos at airport due to 'government of chaos,' 'political interests'
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett also commented on the strike, saying, "Ben-Gurion Airport is in chaos because of a government of chaos."
"Tens of thousands of Israelis were blackmailed by the government on one of the busiest days at Ben-Gurion Airport, because of political interests," Bennett said in comments made at the airport. "They only care about their personal interests, and the people of Israel are paying the price."
Udi Etzion and Jonah Davidov contributed to this report.